LogFAQs > #958917112

2. Gravity Man (Mega Man 5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPiKZ4AZR8A

It's really stupid, but what's held me back from doing these writeups faster is that it's so intimidating to talk about these themes that I like so much, like I feel this actual weight on my shoulders having to try to find the words to really get across just HOW much I like this theme. "Like" isn't really a strong enough word for something that you've spent a good portion of your life studying and trying to emulate to the best of your ability. Every Mega Man 5 theme is a straight up killer, but Gravity Man is hands down my favorite, just the pinnacle of everything I love about Mari Yamaguchi's style - the flowing movement from one new creative idea to the next, the masterful sleight of hand to shift one instrument out of use for another to stay within the maximum four sound channels. It's one of the most ambitious NES themes not just in this series, but maybe ever written for the 2A03 chip at all? It's long, packed with content, and I can practically recount every carefully crafted little detail by heart. In the excess typical of Mari Yamaguchi's work, it's not good enough to have written a jazzy little intro with extensive and distinct A and B sections - where most of these themes would have wrapped up at the minute mark and call it a good day's work, she's still got a bunch of shit left to do. Those jazz chords at 1:07. Those FUCKING jazz chords, I still think about them all the time. That ending bridge segment is just way too sick for a 1992 NES game. There's like a million different things in this theme that I could highlight, there's like 15 different distinct ideas here that are interesting to me and that regardless all work together to form a cohesive whole when most themes can barely manage 2 or 3, but that outro bridge possibly stands as my favorite single thing in any of the themes in this entire ranking.

Final Mega Man 5 Rankings:

1. Gravity Man (2)
2. Dark Man (3)
3. Wave Man (5)
4. Gyro Man (17)
5. Napalm Man (18)
6. Charge Man (19)
7. Dr. Wily (31)
8. Crystal Man (39)
9. Stone Man (49)
10. Star Man (70)

Thoughts: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on this matter, of course, as music is a highly subjective art, the passion for it formed not just by its basic appreciation but also the time and place where you heard it and your particular tastes. But I just can't understand how, for nearly 30 years, people have been unable to separate this game from its companions in Mega Man 4 and 6. Not only is the game itself a step or two ahead of the other two, in my opinion, but the soundtrack is a good three or four steps ahead. The other two are good, but Mari Yamaguchi's soundtrack here is in a class of its own. Every single track is crisply produced and baked full of content, and there really isn't a weak link in the bunch - every track in this game is of sterling quality.

Regrets?: I ranked Star Man way too low when I should have kept the entire soundtrack in the top 50. I'm sorry, there's just really no good excuse for this.